


Jealousy, Confessions, and Cigarette Smoke

by Arcane_Apparition



Category: Fallout 4
Genre: Drug Use, F/M, Jealousy, Pining, Pre-Relationship, You’ve gotta talk about your feelings you two, this is a Hancock fic after all
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-19
Updated: 2018-03-19
Packaged: 2019-04-04 13:39:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,768
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14021436
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Arcane_Apparition/pseuds/Arcane_Apparition
Summary: “The Brotherhood ain’t the most ghoul-friendly of folks, just making sure you’re not considering runnin’ with them is all.” He decides answering with a half-truth was better than lying altogether.She takes a drag of her cigarette, letting the smoke out in one slow breath. Her eyes are trained on something on the wall of the house. He can’t tell if she’s intentionally ignoring him, or if she’s trying to choose her words carefully.“Have I given you any reason to think I’d join up with them?”





	Jealousy, Confessions, and Cigarette Smoke

       Hancock never considered himself a jealous man. He’d always seen it as a waste of energy and, if he was being honest with himself, he’d never had anybody in his life he was close enough to be jealous over. For a long while, Fahrenheit was the only person he’d ever let get close enough to say he trusted, and he had acquaintances like Daisy and KL-E-0. Everybody else he made sure to keep at an arm’s distance; close enough to keep an eye on, but never too close.

       All of that was before Alex waltzed her was into his life though. Now he was finding himself in all kinds of situations he’d never thought he’d be in; he got anxious when she travelled without him, worried about her safety. And, more frequently, he was finding himself getting jealous over stupid shit, which was proving to be a major pain in the ass.

       The problem with the Vaultie sharpshooter was that it was hard to tell when she was being genuine in a conversation. She was charismatic as hell, a trait that caught his eye when they first met. She was good at putting up different fronts; different faces depending on what the situation called for. So it made her all the more difficult to read, like when a smile was an actual smile, or when it was a smile to get a conversation to go her way. Worst of all, when a situation called for it, she would flirt up a fucking storm. What she lacked in brute strength, she made up for with coy smiles and sweet words, and he had to pretend like it didn’t drive him up the wall.

       He was a lot of things, but he wasn’t delusional. It wasn’t like he ever expected anything to happen between them. Softskins didn’t usually take to ghouls, so there wasn’t any point for him to bother getting his hopes up. Their conversations were always light and riddled with good natured teasing, but as always it was hard to pick up on her actual motives. She was a really friendly person when she wanted to be, so there was no way he thought he was getting any special treatment. But, no matter how much he denied it, or how many drugs he took, he couldn’t help but enjoy being able to make her laugh. He couldn’t help but feel bitter whenever she started to flirt with someone.

       What made it all the more worse, was when the person that made her smile was part of the Brotherhood of Steel.

       They’d been travelling through the city when they came across a firefight that was pouring out of what had once been a police station. Alex charged into the fight without so much of a word, which left Hancock to do nothing but follow and make sure she didn’t get herself killed. At the time, they thought it was just a group of folks that managed to get themselves pinned down by a horde of ferals. It wasn’t until the gunfire ceased and the dust cleared that they realized they’d just inadvertently helped a group of Brotherhood of Steel assholes. As soon as the realization was made, Hancock wanted them to do nothing more than turn around and walk off without looking back. Nothing good could come from associating with a group like theirs. But Alex, ever the people pleaser, seemed to have other plans in mind. She walked right up to Paladin-fucking-Danse himself, and somehow ended up roping him into travelling to Sanctuary with them.

       He tried not to be hurt –or, at least not to show it- that her of all people would talk so friendly to members of the Brotherhood. She’d always seemed to genuine when she made her speeches about treating everybody equally, human, ghoul, and synth alike. It couldn’t have been some kind of ploy…could it? He didn’t want to believe it, but the way she grinned and talked to Danse did nothing but set his blood on fire. He couldn’t get any answers out of her the entire trip back, and instead spent the entire time lagging behind the duo.

       Needless to say, it was a long damn trip back.

 

       Now, a few hours into the night, he finds himself slowly wandering the street. He’s too restless –too agitated, to bother trying to sleep. He isn’t in the mood to be around people either, so he’s somewhat thankful to see the streets are pretty empty at this point. Even Preston is nowhere to be seen.

        _Everybody else must still be with that asshole_ , he thinks as he spares a glance towards the house that had been delegated for meetings. He can see through one of the windows that Danse and Preston are talking, too far away for him to actually hear what’s being said, but by the look on Preston’s face he isn’t happy about something.

        _Where’d Alex end up?_ He can’t help but wonder. She was the one that brought that tin can here, shouldn’t she be the one to deal with him? He looks down the opposite end of the street and sees dim lights lit in another building. This house doubled as a place for Alex and whoever she invites in to crash whenever they’re in town, and her own personal workshop.

       Before he can stop himself, he pictures her inviting the tin can to stay the night with her, and his stomach twists uncomfortably. She’d told him he could stay the first time they’d arrived to Sanctuary together, but they’d been travelling for a while beforehand. Would Danse earn her trust that quickly?

       Part of him considers turning around and going back to the bunkhouse. If she’s in her shop, it’s likely she wants to be alone for whatever reason, working on that metal carcass of a motorcycle she’s hell bent on getting running. If he walks in and she’s in a mood, he’s liable to get chased right back out again. But he was curious. She hardly seems to sleep anymore as is, and if left to her own devices she’d easily work herself through the night.

        _Just check on her, then I’ll go_ , he reasons, popping a Mentat from the tin in his coat pocket into his mouth as he heads towards the workshop. He’ll just make sure she’s not about to work herself into the ground. As he got closer, he could hear the distinct sound of metal on metal.

       “Alex?” He calls out, looking in a window to see if he spots her. Well-maintenance power armor are in their stands, looking like an eerie metal army standing to attention, just waiting for their next orders. At this point she had to have at least 6 sets of armor, none of which she actually wore, she just collected to fix them up.

       “’Round back.” He hears her answer, followed shortly by a string of curses. Walking down the side of the house, he sees the motorcycle sitting on the remnants of what had once been a patio. Tools and parts sit scattered in a semicircle around where he assumes Alex is sitting. All he can see over the bike is the top of her blonde head, and one leg stretched out to the side. One lone lantern sits off to the side, barely illuminating the yard enough for him to see where he’s stepping.

       “Havin’ fun?” He asks.

       “As much as can be expected,” She answers, peeking over just enough for him to see her eyes. Judging by her tone, she seems alright enough for company. He’s relieved she’s not going to try and chase him off, so he drags a lawn chair over to sit near her.

       “I pinched my finger like a sonofabitch though.”

       “Add it to your growing collection of war wounds.” He grins, taking in the rest of her appearance now that he can see her better. Her armor is nowhere in sight, instead she’s just wearing the faded military fatigues she likes so much. The sleeves are rolled up past her elbows, and every part of available skin had oil, dirt, or a combination of both smeared on. She’s got a dirty rag wrapped around the first finger of her left hand, blood already seeping through the fabric.

       “You really aren’t gonna give up on this piece of junk, are ya?”

       “I’m mildly offended that you have such little faith in me,” She quips with a grin that makes his stomach flutter, “But I’m really close this time.”

       “You said that last time,” He points out, leaning back in his chair, “And the time before that.”

       “Okay, but I’m _actually_ close this time. I’ll have this thing running in no time, then you’ll see. Then, I can move onto cars and we won’t have to walk all the damn time.”

       “Ridin’ around in a hunk of metal that’ll _explode_ if it’s shot just right.” He mutters, already digging around in his pocket for his Mentat tin, “Can’t wait.”

       “Now I’m really offended.” She scowls with no real malice, “You think I wouldn’t take precautions against incidents-“

       “Explosions.”

       “- _Incidents_ like that. I’ll have it better armored than a suit of power armor by the time I’m done.” She says with confidence as she picks up another tool and gets to work on something in the underside of the bike. He had to admit, with the tone she had it was hard not to believe her.

       A few beats of silence later, there’s a metallic groan and a clank, and she’s cursing again as she snatches her hand back.

       “Ain’t gonna have any fingers left at the rate you’re going.” He chuckles, watching her shake her newly wounded hand.

       “It’s being temperamental, that’s all.” She scoffs, unperturbed as she gets back to work, “Did you need something?”

       “Can’t just come see what kind of trouble you’re getting’ into?”

       “Normally, yeah. But it’s almost 2 in the morning. By now you’re either passed out, or knee deep in some kind of high.” She answers, checking the dimmed screen of her pip-boy as if to make sure she actually has the time right.

       “That late already?” He tries to keep his tone nonchalant, but the fact it was as late as it was managed to catch him off guard. Had he really been wandering around for the majority of the night? “Not like I’m the only one up. Saw Preston and the Tin Can were talking.”

       If he could have, he would’ve smacked himself for the not-so-subtle conversation change, worsened by the noticeable aggravation in his tone.

       “Are they?” Despite her asking, she didn’t sound surprised or interested in the news.

       “If ya don’t mind me askin’, why’d you bring him back here?” The question is out before he can stop himself. All he can do is hope she doesn’t read too much into it.

       “Preston asked before we left that if we ran into any Brotherhood of Steel that we play nice,” She answers, not looking up from whatever she was doing, “Said he wanted a chance to talk to one of them. Since they made their big arrival, we’ve had Vertibirds buzzing a lot of settlements, especially down south. He wanted to make sure no homes or settlers get caught in their crossfire.”

       “And…that’s the only reason?” He can’t help but push a little further, and at this point she stops to look at him with narrowed eyes. There’s a pause, before she sets her tools down altogether. He half expects her to get up and leave. If he’d managed to irritate her, this conversation was as good as done. Instead, she starts patting the pockets of her shirt.

       “Alright Hancock,” She fishes out a pack of cigarettes, tapping one loose before digging a lighter from her other pocket, “Why don’t you explain what all these questions are about? Why have you been so weird since we ran into Danse?”

       “The Brotherhood ain’t the most ghoul-friendly of folks, just making sure you’re not considering runnin’ with them is all.” He decides answering with a half-truth was better than lying altogether.

       She takes a drag of her cigarette, letting the smoke out in one slow breath. Her eyes are trained on something on the wall of the house. He can’t tell if she’s intentionally ignoring him, or if she’s trying to choose her words carefully.

       “Have I given you any reason to think I’d join up with them?” She speaks suddenly, giving him a look so intense it catches him off guard. The glowing tip of her cigarette casts shadows over her face, making it all the more difficult to read the blank expression she had. Had he upset her? Pissed her off that he felt the need to look out for his well being with the Brotherhood and their damn Prydwen looming over the Commonwealth?

       “None so far. Just want it to stay that way is all.” He says, “I just know with all their firepower, joining up might seem real temptin’. Especially to some like you, goin’ after the Institute and all. Hell, roles reversed I can’t say the thought wouldn’t have crossed my mind.”

       “Never even considered it.” She says, tapping off the ash from the tip of her cigarette, “We’ve made it this far without them. The Institute is going down, and the Brotherhood will too if they keep pushing their boundaries.”

       “Damn. Glad we’re friends.” He chuckles. If he didn’t know her, the intensity in her voice would’ve been enough to put him on edge.

       “And that’s what we are? Friends?” The question is simple enough, but Hancock’s mind still manages to blank. The shift in conversation was enough to make his head spin, and she sounds so damn nonchalant. She isn’t even looking at him anymore, there’s a wrench back in her hand and she’s working on the bike again.

       What the hell is she getting at? He wasn’t an idiot, he knew exactly what she was suggesting, but there was no way she was being serious. She very well could have been fucking with him, but he doesn’t see her as being that cruel.

       “Heh. I might’ve had some impure thoughts here and there,” He hopes he doesn’t sound as unsure as he feels. No point in testing the water; it’s sink or swim now. “Might just have to act on ‘em some time.”

       He waits for her response, for any kind of reaction. He needs to know if she’s being serious, or if this was some kind of joke. As always, she’s impossible to read. Her expression is as blank as ever, even has she sets her wrench down and snuffs out her cigarette. Anticipation and anxiety starts to feed into dread as the silence drags on.

        _Shoulda fuckin’ known. Smoothskins don’t waste their time on Ghouls_ , he thinks bitterly, considering getting up and leaving. If he was lucky, he could get high enough to pretend like this whole conversation never happened.

       “I figured I made the signals pretty clear by this point.” She says, pulling another smoke out of her pack, “Honestly, I expected you to make a move by this point.”

       “Not…sure what signals I was supposed to pick up on,” Again, she manages to throw him for a loop, “You can be a pretty big damn flirt when you wanna be.”

       “You’re one to talk,” She snorts as she stands up, brushing dirt from her pant legs. Smoke rolls lazily from her lips as she cocks her hip to the side, crossing her arms, “I was hoping we’d be able to get passed all this ‘is he interested, is he not’ kind of shit.”

       “What’re you sayin?” He has to ask, has to be sure.

       “I’m saying that I’m interested in you, John.  I have been for awhile. And, I’m interested in seeing where this could go, but you need decide if this is something you want.”

       “Well...yeah,” He knows he sounds as dumbstruck as he feels, but at this point he couldn’t care less, “Hell yeah.”

       “Alright. Well that’s that then. I’m gonna turn in for the night, so I’ll see you sometime after the sun’s up.” She nods before heading towards the backdoor, waving over her shoulder, “G’night Hancock.”

       He didn’t bother saying anything after her, all he manages is a wave in her general direction. His thoughts are reeling, but all he can think is that as much of a pain in the ass she could be, he was damn glad she’d wandered into his life.


End file.
